Evaluation of the Health Link Program [New York City]: The Community Reintegration Model to Reduce Substance Abuse Among Jail Inmates, 1997-2002 (ICPSR 3978)

This evaluation study, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, was designed to provide a rigorous assessment of the
effects of making Health Link's community-based services available to
former inmates of New York City's jail system at Rikers Island. The
goal of the Health Link Project was to promote healthy reintegration
of persons leaving Rikers into their communities by (1) providing
direct services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated clients, (2)
assisting community organizations that served this population, (3)
establishing linkages between organizations, and (4) strengthening
linkages between them and public agencies. The signature component of
Health Link was case management in the community. Meeting with clients
after their release from jail, caseworkers provided a support
structure, made referrals to services, offered crisis intervention and
counseling, and served as advocates for clients. Only adult females
and adolescent males were included in the study. Eligible inmates who
volunteered for the evaluation study were assigned to one of two
groups: the Jail-and-Community Services group (JC group) or the Jail
Services Only group (J group). JC group members were eligible for
Health Link's intensive discharge planning and community case
management services, while J group members were eligible for less
intensive discharge planning services and ineligible for Health Link's
community case management services. Evaluation subjects initially
completed an intake questionnaire, which collected information on age,
race, Hispanic origin, ethnicity, place and type of residence, family
relations, criminal background, employment and education, substance
abuse, health and medical history, sexual at-risk behavior and
reproductive health, and history of trauma. Follow-up interviews were
conducted, on average, about 15 months after release from jail, a
sufficient time to observe the 12-month period for which clients were
eligible for community-based services. Topics covered in the follow-up
12 Month Questionnaire included involvement in the criminal justice
system, criminal activity, substance abuse, participation in substance
abuse treatment programs, education and employment outcomes, health
status, access to and utilization of health care services, sexual
activity and HIV risk, housing, and involvement with family and
community. Subjects who were not incarcerated at the time of their
follow-up interview were asked to voluntarily provide hair samples,
which were tested for metabolites of cocaine, opiates, PCP,
methamphetamine, and marijuana.

This evaluation study, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, was designed to provide a rigorous assessment of the
effects of making Health Link's community-based services available to
former inmates of New York City's jail system at Rikers Island. The
goal of the Health Link Project was to promote healthy reintegration
of persons leaving Rikers into their communities by (1) providing
direct services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated clients, (2)
assisting community organizations that served this population, (3)
establishing linkages between organizations, and (4) strengthening
linkages between them and public agencies. The signature component of
Health Link was case management in the community. Meeting with clients
after their release from jail, caseworkers provided a support
structure, made referrals to services, offered crisis intervention and
counseling, and served as advocates for clients. Only adult females
and adolescent males were included in the study. Eligible inmates who
volunteered for the evaluation study were assigned to one of two
groups: the Jail-and-Community Services group (JC group) or the Jail
Services Only group (J group). JC group members were eligible for
Health Link's intensive discharge planning and community case
management services, while J group members were eligible for less
intensive discharge planning services and ineligible for Health Link's
community case management services. Evaluation subjects initially
completed an intake questionnaire, which collected information on age,
race, Hispanic origin, ethnicity, place and type of residence, family
relations, criminal background, employment and education, substance
abuse, health and medical history, sexual at-risk behavior and
reproductive health, and history of trauma. Follow-up interviews were
conducted, on average, about 15 months after release from jail, a
sufficient time to observe the 12-month period for which clients were
eligible for community-based services. Topics covered in the follow-up
12 Month Questionnaire included involvement in the criminal justice
system, criminal activity, substance abuse, participation in substance
abuse treatment programs, education and employment outcomes, health
status, access to and utilization of health care services, sexual
activity and HIV risk, housing, and involvement with family and
community. Subjects who were not incarcerated at the time of their
follow-up interview were asked to voluntarily provide hair samples,
which were tested for metabolites of cocaine, opiates, PCP,
methamphetamine, and marijuana.

Guidelines for Applying for Restricted Data

Before you begin an application you will need the following information to complete the form

General Requirements:

appointment at research institution; appointment must be under the jurisdiction of the receiving institution

degree requirements (possibly doctorate)

Must be submitted:

project description

IRB approval

approved security plan

roster of research and IT staff who can access or view the data or computer where data are hosted.

confidentiality pledges for all people on roster

Some require:

CV's

The data files are restricted from general dissemination for reasons of confidentiality. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete an Agreement for the Use of Confidential Data, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research. Apply for access to these data through the ICPSR restricted data contract portal, which can be accessed via the study home page.

Any public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public.
Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

Study Description

Citation

Burghardt, John, and Karen Needels. Evaluation of the Health Link Program [New York City]: The Community Reintegration Model to Reduce Substance Abuse Among Jail Inmates, 1997-2002. ICPSR03978-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2004. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03978.v1

Universe:
Adult female and adolescent males incarcerated in the New
York City jail system at Rikers Island between July 1997 and May
2000.

Data Type(s):
clinical data,
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

The data files are comma-delimited with one record
per case, and variable names are provided in the first record of each
data file. Hence, the number of records in each file is one more than
the number of cases.

Methodology

Sample:
Health Link staff recruited for the evaluation inmates who
showed interest and likely commitment to receiving case management
services, who expected to return to the community within a year
because their sentence in Rikers was less than one year and they did
not expect to be transferred to the New York State prison system, and
who were willing and able to receive services in the South Bronx or
Harlem in New York City. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the
JC group or to the J group. Slightly more than 350 women and 350
adolescent males were selected for each group, for a total sample of
1,416.